There’s a horse race shaping up for the next Democratic Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Of course, there’s a big "if" aspect to this race: there’s no guarantee the Democrats will actually hold the House in the November elections.

Still, I get a kick out of watching members of either party jockey (pun intended) for the job. After all, think of the purse you collect by being the head of the tax committee in the legislative chamber where tax bills originate. Ka-ching!

Here’s the field. Charlie Rangel of New York was the chairman, but he’s got so many ethical problems he’s done.

Sander Levin from Michigan has been acting chairman since Rangel got in trouble. Levin got the job because of his seniority.

Fortney "Pete" Stark from California actually has more seniority than Levin but he turned the temporary job down. That’s a good thing. He’s, shall we say, easily agitated.

Next is John Lewis from Georgia. Some thought the Black Caucus would lobby hard for him. But that doesn’t seem to be happening.

On the outside is long-shot Richard Neal of Massachusetts. Neal’s my horse. He’s good on tax policy. And he doesn’t seem to think that all businesses are inherently evil. Some of these Democrats, including our President, tend to get a little shrill when it comes to the business community.

A recent article in Bloomberg reports that Levin and Neal are currently the only two in serious training for the race. I’m quoted in that article as saying I think it’s a two-horse race between them, but I could be wrong.

So, if you want to get in on the handicapping, here’s the field, in alphabetical order.

Levin – on the pole
Lewis – doesn’t seem to have his heart in the race
Neal – tough draw on the outside
Rangel – a scratch
Stark – probably won’t make the trip to the track

I’m putting my money on the long-shot Neal. If you want to play along, please pick your horse – no insult to the contestants meant. Just click to vote. Like me, it’s completely unscientific.